To stop the pain we give her medicaments …. No child should suffer so much!

Natalka was born in October, 2009 as a healthy newborn. We had no little idea that our happiness of giving birth to our healthy daughter would last only 2 hours. After that everything was cascading. Due to bacterial infection she suffered from pneumonia which resulted in sepsis. Natalka suffered from heavy septic shock in the ninth hour of her life and was resuscitated….

She struggled hard as she was very curious about the surrounding world which has just said hello to her. She won …. and survived! However owing to the shock and massive haemorrhage in the lungs she suffered from heavy and irreversible brain insufficiency. From that time Natalka has been suffering from the heaviest form of cerebral palsy – spastic tetraplegia, refractory epilepsy and pseudobulbar palsy.

Natalka does not walk, and sit on her own, she does not talk, has difficulties in food swallowing. She needs 24-hours care and help of other person.

In April 2019 Natalka underwent the first in her life orthopaedic surgery which was supposed to stop the painful contractures and stop the process of hip prolapsing from acetabulum. The surgery did not help much, and the recovery time was hard. Owing to a few weeks of plaster immobilization, the scoliosis deepened and the hip was still deforming. Before the surgery the scoliosis was equal to 33 degrees, and after 10 months even 84!

We had no idea that in such a short period of time the scoliosis would be so severe. The doctors think that spine deformation is progressing due to painful hip subluxation. Natalka tries to find a comfortable, painless position which results in scoliosis. The second reason occurs to be heavy spasticity and asymmetry in muscle tension.

Unfortunately, scoliosis proves to be a health risk as it results in internal organs pressure (stomach, lungs, intestines), which finally may lead to life-threatening condition.

This is why Natalka needs an urgent surgery of not only the painful sub-located hip which prevents her from normal functioning, but both hips which would prevent her from rotational curvature of pelvis and spine. As long as both of the hips are not properly located and protected, she cannot undergo a spine surgery. Hip surgery is a necessary start of spine surgery. We do not have much time. Owing to the fact that Natalka is still growing the surgery must take place within two years. However, firstly she must undergo hip surgery.

As long as we do not collect funds for the surgery, Natalka will live in a very heavy pain. Presently she suffers during the day, and at night she cannot sleep due to the pain. We give her pain medication so as to relieve the pain, however she cannot take it permanently. It is very hard to observe your own lovely child suffering while you cannot help her.

The surgery at Paley European Institute is the only help for our daughter.

Why the place?

Paley European Institute is the only place in Poland where a child is not plaster immobilized for many weeks after the surgery.